Weeks ago, as the Premier’s Office threw around ideas of how to sex up Colin Barnett’s speech at the Liberal State Conference, it was agreed the airport rail line project – announced by former transport minister Troy Buswell at the 2013 state election – should be the headline act.

The 8km Forrestfield-Airport Link tunnel fitted the bill.

Government sources say the office of a bemused Dean Nalder was then contacted by the Premier’s Office to say that updated details of the airport project would be released by the Premier at state conference.

Privately, senior bureaucrats reckoned the project, previously put at $1.9 billion and with a completion date of 2018, was nowhere near ready to roll out.

But just five days before the conference, the project got the tick off by Cabinet, paving the way for an announcement.

A press release was prepared to make sure the Premier got the glory: “Premier Colin Barnett today released details of the new train route approved by Cabinet,” the release said.

“The $2 billion Forrestfield-Airport Link will run for 8km in two underground tunnels beneath the Swan River and the airport, providing a much needed public transport link to the airport and a 20-minute rail journey from Perth’s eastern suburbs to the city.”

Barnett announced the project to state conference about 10am last Saturday.

About 15 minutes later the media was shunted into another room where the nervous-looking Nalder appeared. So too did Barnett.

Barnett said a couple of words and then threw Nalder to the wolves (ie, the sceptical media pack), watching from several metres away.

Nalder had a problem. He knew full well that the revamped project wasn’t $2 billion as per Mr Barnett’s press release, but was in fact $2.2 billion.

Nalder had been told to keep selling the airport line project as a $2 billion gig, but the media swallowed none of it.

As soon as the $2.2 billion cost was revealed, the mauling began.

Nalder made a mess of it, saying: “Until this goes to tender we won’t know the accurate, specific cost. This ($2.2 billion) is the best estimate at this point.”

It proved to be a public relations disaster for the Government, with the media latching onto the cost blowout.

Since then, a beleaguered Nalder has not been able to produce a business plan for the project, claiming the total cost would be confirmed “closer to 2015” when the tender process is expected to be completed.

Alannah MacTiernan made her reputation by overseeing the Perth to Mandurah rail line. The Forrestfield-Airport Link project has the same potential for Nalder.

What’s worrying here is that the Forrestfield-Airport Link project is unfunded. The Mandurah to Perth line was paid for in cash.

Let’s just hope for Nalder’s sake that Barnett’s decision to run with this project at this economically hard time does not come back to haunt him.

In an interesting twist to what could be a “Greek Tragedy” for the Transport Minister, Nalder wants to replace Barnett as the next leader of the Liberal Party.

I’m not sure Barnett, or his office, is too worried about Nalder taking the heat on the airport line project right now.

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